Suspect Maurice Hill charged in Philadelphia police shooting

PHILADELPHIA -- The suspected gunman who is accused of shooting six Philadelphia police officers and creating a standoff that lasted more than seven hours has been charged with attempted murder.

Maurice Hill, 36, was arraigned on Saturday.

Along with attempted murder, he has also been charged with aggravated assault, assault of law enforcement officer, simple assault, and recklessly endangering another person.

He was denied bail.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for September 5.

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner will hold a press conference on Monday regarding the charges. Charges against four other people related to this case will be announced, as well, the DA's office said.

- Police Officer Joshua Burkitt, 26, a 2-year veteran assigned to the 24th District sustained a gunshot wound to the left hand- Police Officer Michael Guinter, 32, a 12-year veteran assigned to the Narcotics Strike Force, sustained gunshot wounds to both arms- Police Officer Shaun Parker, 32, an 11-year veteran assigned to the Narcotics Strike Force, sustained a graze wound to the head- Police Officer Nathaniel Harper, 43, a 19-year veteran assigned to the Narcotics Strike Force, sustained a gunshot wound to the left leg- Police Officer Ryan Waltman, 42, a 12-year veteran assigned to the 39th District sustained a gunshot wound to the right hand- Police Officer Justin Matthews, 31, a 3-year veteran assigned to the 16th District, sustained a graze wound to the left leg

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross expressed amazement that the standoff, which began Wednesday when officers attempted to serve a drug warrant, ended with no one dead and no life-threatening injuries.

It "could have been far worse," Ross said Thursday outside the Philadelphia Police Department. "This was a very dynamic situation, one that I hope we never see again."

Raw video from the scene in Tioga-Nicetown as the suspect in an active shooter incident that wounded 6 police officers surrenders, August 15, 2019.

While standoffs with police are not uncommon, the situation in Philadelphia drew particular attention because of how long gunfire was exchanged and the fact that the commissioner made the unusual decision to speak to the shooter directly.

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said Hill had an extensive criminal history, including drug, gun and robbery charges. Krasner said Hill should not have been on the streets but stopped short of saying there was any specific failure by law enforcement.

Maurice Hill

"I think it's fair to say the criminal justice system, imperfect as it is, did not stop this terrible incident," he told reporters at a news conference Thursday.

Pennsylvania prison officials said a man with the same name and date of birth served about 2 years on drug charges and was paroled in 2006 and served more than a year for aggravated assault and before being released in 2013.

State court online court records indicate that man had multiple arrests in Philadelphia and adjacent Delaware County between 2001 and 2012, producing convictions that include perjury, fleeing and eluding, escape and weapons offenses.

Suspected gunman released from hospital on August 15, 2019, after standoff with Philadelphia police.

Hill's lawyer, Shaka Johnson, said Hill called him during the standoff asking for help surrendering. Johnson then called Krasner, and the two men patched in both Hill and the police commissioner, according to Krasner.

Hill told Johnson he wanted to make it out alive to see his newborn daughter and teenage son again.

The standoff started around 4:30 p.m. as officers went to a home in a north Philadelphia neighborhood of brick and stone rowhomes to serve a narcotics warrant in an operation "that went awry almost immediately," Ross said.

Many officers "had to escape through windows and doors to get (away) from a barrage of bullets," Ross said.

The six officers who were struck by gunfire have been released from hospitals, said Philadelphia police Sgt. Eric Gripp.

Two other officers who were trapped inside the house for about five hours after the shooting broke out were freed by a SWAT team well after dark fell.

Three other officers suffered non-gunshot related injuries, including one who was involved in a crash on the way to the scene.

Ross said the reason he made the unusual decision to be the person negotiating with Hill was because he was "so worried" about his officers stuck inside.

Injured police officer helped to car in North Philadlephia shootout on August 14, 2019.

"I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I was 200 feet away," he said Thursday.

Three people who officers had taken into custody in the house before the shooting started were also safely evacuated, police said.

At one point, authorities held a news conference in hopes that the gunman or someone he was communicating with may hear them. Ross said he was "very intentional and deliberate" with the words he used during the briefing since he was not sure if Hill knew there were two officers trapped upstairs.

Police tried to push crowds of onlookers and residents back from the scene. In police radio broadcasts, officers could be heard calling for backup as reports of officers getting shot poured in.